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Press Release

Spokespeople:
Don Archer, phone Christchurch (03) 385 5268
Claire Dann, phone Christchurch (03) 386 1025
Darren Kemp, phone Christchurch (03) 379 0005
Larry Ross, phone Christchurch (03) 337 0118
Email: nuclearfreenz@lynx.co.nz

A War Crimes Trial to indict George W. Bush, Tony Blair and John Howard
will be held in Victoria Square, Christchurch, New Zealand
on Saturday August 7, 2004 from 12 to 1pm.

Actors wearing Bush, Blair and Howard masks will be handcuffed and confined to a cage, while being charged.

The Judge, played by Larry Ross, will read the indictment. The prosecutors - Clair Dann and Moana Cole and two witnesses from Iraq will present the charges about the war crimes. Darren Kemp will play the Defence Counsel.

The war crimes will include; pre-meditation of the Iraq war well before 9/11, planning it, and lying to justify the illegal war, bombing, invasion, murder, imprisonment, torture and maiming, poisoning the land with depleted uranium, destroying Iraqi buildings and infrastructure, and violating the articles of the UN Charter, The Nuremberg Tribunal and International laws. The jury will be the audience who attend this 'People's Court'.

Spokesperson Larry Ross said:

"Iraq had no weapons of mass destruction, was not making nuclear weapons, had no links with Al Qaeda and was no threat to the US, UK and Australia. These were all lies the 3 accused used to justify an invasion of Iraq, which they deceptively called, "a war on terrorism".

Although Saddam Hussein was a brutal dictator - like so many of the US-created and supported dictators since World War II, that was no excuse for making war on Iraq and killing, torturing and terrorising the population.

A number of the war crimes, culminating in the illegal imprisoning and torture of Iraqis, have enraged the Arab world. They have created a seed bed for many more terrorists and for opposition to direct US rule, or to US-dominated client rule, and have laid the foundations for more US-led wars, including a war on Iran.

The accused should be tried by the International Criminal Court and reparations paid to victims by the US, UK and Australia.

We want New Zealand to remove it's military from Iraq and work with other nations for replacement of Western forces in Iraq with temporary Arab forces, to maintain order, help with reconstruction, and with setting up a genuine Iraq democracy.

A simple but thought provoking message from the trial, that we will send overseas, and suggest be used in the US, UK and Australia is "Don't Vote For A War Criminal".

We don't believe that war criminals should occupy the top positions of three great nations - the United States, Britain and Australia."

Larry Ross, on behalf of the Peace Action Network.